(Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked parts of an Indiana immigration law cracking down on illegal immigrants, in a ruling handed down a week before the bill was to go into effect.

The preliminary injunction granted by U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker comes as a blow to lawmakers in the Republican-dominated state legislature who this year have taken a get-tough approach to immigration.

Barker's decision was in response to a lawsuit filed with backing from the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana and the National Immigration Law Center.[More]